ancona
Praying Mantis
Ok, so its Friday……like that makes some kind of difference at this point. Tomorrow is Saturday and the next day is Sunday…….and it will all still be just as fucked up as it is today. All week long I have been pounded by idiots over one stupid ass thing or another, some of it so completely insignificant as to make me lose my temper at the knucklehead who brought it to my attention in the first place. I spent the entire first half of my week embroiled in a dispute over a long standing and widely disseminated general rule involving the proper control and disposal of materials containing less than one percent asbestos. The individual pressing the full court on this is a newbie at the Space Center, with around three months experience, having just recently graduated the intern program, joining the full-time environmental team. This brat was of the opinion that since he was working “under the direct supervision” of the director of the asbestos program, that he was to be revered as a God. He was wrong.
In a meeting Thursday, I had a showdown with this punk that took him completely by surprise, as it did nearly all those in attendance……..with the notable exception of his boss, the Program Director. The boy had been pounding us over and over about the need to construct a full negative pressure containment, in order to “correctly” remove over twelve thousand square feet of drywall with joint compound containing around two percent asbestos. However, as the law in the State of Florida allows, just as the asbestos program guidelines do, we tested the material as a system, meaning we tested a representative cross-section of the joint compound, tape and gypsum board, and returned an asbestos content of less than one percent as observed by an independent, third party analyst using polarized light microscopy. Our project had been held up by this college puke for two weeks because he could not get it through his thick skull that we did not have to jump through his flaming hoops, we only had to supply respiratory protection to our workers and nothing more.
I challenged squid-boy about the law, the program requirements, the written engineer’s specifications and his own flawed interpretation of the requirements, in a final attempt to show him the light and the way. He remained stubborn to the end. At this point, the Program Director was just sitting and patiently listening to our dialogue, since I had already spent an hour with him in his office explaining in great detail how I intended to proceed, presenting him with my empirical data backing up my position. He already knew the outcome, but wanted to see if squid-boy was going to go all the way with his point, or give in to common sense and reality. At the end of my presentation I looked around the table and saw nearly everyone nodding in agreement with my sensible, realistic and cogent presentation, all but squid-boy that is. With a defiant look on his mug, and a hint of fear, he stood up like he was preparing to address parliament or something, and announced that he was shutting the project down because of his environmental concerns, and he would notify us when we would be allowed to start back up. He further elucidated that he was going to get the state Department of Environmental Protection involved, because he felt as though we [read: Ancona] were ignoring “important environmental precedents and laws” [WTF????? Really??], and could not be trusted to proceed without full-time, close up observation to insure we were following protocols.
That was when I broke formation and burst out laughing. I don’t mean a short “you’re an idiot” chortle either, I mean a long and sincere belly laugh that became contagious in the room, so much so that the Program director joined in as well. Squid-boy was enraged, his face puffed up and red, beads of sweat on his forehead and trembling with fury. I thought the boy was going to go apoplectic at this point. Now, [and this is the fun part], he had gotten away with merely being a dip-shit to this point, and had not yet actually done anything “wrong”, but that changed in one quick hurry. Visibly furious, and without any ammunition [not even blanks] he started pointing at me and yelling insults, as if this would somehow win his argument and make his flawed logic valid. It only made me laugh harder.
Now, I have seen people go off the deep end, and I have seen some pretty awesome temper tantrums in my day, but this was right up there with the world champion of complete and total breakdowns. The kid was beyond return and I think he knew it, because he just didn’t stop. It was like watching that little prick holding mommies hand in the line at the store, while screaming and flailing because she won’t give in and let him get any candy.
We just kept laughing.
Squid-boy was so angry now that he was crying just a little bit, and he had those white flecks of foam beginning to form at the corners of his mouth. He had nowhere to run; he was trapped by his own stupidity and he fucking well knew it, just as everyone else in the room knew it as we watched his melt down in complete and utter amazement. This would be one for the record books, and I am sure the story will be told at the water cooler for a full generation to come. At this point, he knew that no one had his back and was desperate for validation, so he did the unthinkable. Squid-boy turned to the program Director and said, ”You’re supposed to back me up mother fucker, not just sit there like a fucking retard and let these assholes do ‘this’ to me”.
I couldn’t believe it.
Sometimes in life, we get to witness things that are so utterly amazing they defy our ability to assign the proper adjectives to describe them. This was one of those times. The laughing stopped as quickly as it started, and Squid-boy suddenly realized what he had done. We all sort of looked around at each other, then turned nearly in unison and stared at Squid-boy in amazement, having all of us just witnessed a man completely and irreparably self destruct. The director stood up and looked down at his notebook while slowly shaking his head from side to side. He seemed to be searching for the right words, because he stood there for the longest time, which made Squid-boy, who was now seated, visibly shaken.
When he finally spoke, he looked directly at me and addressed me personally. He said, “I have reviewed your work plan of action and have approved it unconditionally. You may proceed with the removal using the methods and engineering controls you describe in the plan. In addition, I see no need for any oversight beyond your construction inspector’s usual routine, since I have known you for eighteen years and have no doubts about the quality of your work, nor your professional integrity.” Then, he turned to Squid-boy and said at him, “I want to apologize for my technician, his outburst was significantly less than professional, and in no way reflects the sentiments of my group or NASA”.
At that, Squid-boy grabbed his notes, phone and water bottle and stormed out of the room.
So, for the second time this year, a spoiled, selfish college puke self-destructed right there in front of me. It is a sad commentary that these kids are being shit out of the “education system” like so many turds, seemingly led to believe that when they are in charge or have been given some level of authority that they should never be challenged, just as their professors had acted while brainwashing them. This young man is only twenty three or twenty four, and truly believes that he is “entitled” to the same level of respect that I give his boss [after eighteen years], by simple virtue of the little scrap of paper they gave him when he graduated. He does not understand that it is experience, reputation, integrity and the application of professional ethic that earns a man respect. He fully believes that because he is charged with some level of responsibility that he is automatically granted the respect and attention given to long tenured professional in his office.
I can now fully understand why our government will never survive. We are filling up the ranks of federal employees with entitles, privileged arrogant kids who have been taught that respect comes first and work comes later. Their generation is the “You ‘got to respect me” generation, raised on violent video games and thug rap, babysat by the television and MTV. They are cocky and full of themselves, having been taught to be so by the generation that brought us the sexual revolution and hippie culture of the sixties, which grew up to become the “educators” of today.
These are the same kids that we see at occupy rallies, and they are the same people we will see standing in like for hand-outs when the shit hits the fan.
Sorry about the rant.
In a meeting Thursday, I had a showdown with this punk that took him completely by surprise, as it did nearly all those in attendance……..with the notable exception of his boss, the Program Director. The boy had been pounding us over and over about the need to construct a full negative pressure containment, in order to “correctly” remove over twelve thousand square feet of drywall with joint compound containing around two percent asbestos. However, as the law in the State of Florida allows, just as the asbestos program guidelines do, we tested the material as a system, meaning we tested a representative cross-section of the joint compound, tape and gypsum board, and returned an asbestos content of less than one percent as observed by an independent, third party analyst using polarized light microscopy. Our project had been held up by this college puke for two weeks because he could not get it through his thick skull that we did not have to jump through his flaming hoops, we only had to supply respiratory protection to our workers and nothing more.
I challenged squid-boy about the law, the program requirements, the written engineer’s specifications and his own flawed interpretation of the requirements, in a final attempt to show him the light and the way. He remained stubborn to the end. At this point, the Program Director was just sitting and patiently listening to our dialogue, since I had already spent an hour with him in his office explaining in great detail how I intended to proceed, presenting him with my empirical data backing up my position. He already knew the outcome, but wanted to see if squid-boy was going to go all the way with his point, or give in to common sense and reality. At the end of my presentation I looked around the table and saw nearly everyone nodding in agreement with my sensible, realistic and cogent presentation, all but squid-boy that is. With a defiant look on his mug, and a hint of fear, he stood up like he was preparing to address parliament or something, and announced that he was shutting the project down because of his environmental concerns, and he would notify us when we would be allowed to start back up. He further elucidated that he was going to get the state Department of Environmental Protection involved, because he felt as though we [read: Ancona] were ignoring “important environmental precedents and laws” [WTF????? Really??], and could not be trusted to proceed without full-time, close up observation to insure we were following protocols.
That was when I broke formation and burst out laughing. I don’t mean a short “you’re an idiot” chortle either, I mean a long and sincere belly laugh that became contagious in the room, so much so that the Program director joined in as well. Squid-boy was enraged, his face puffed up and red, beads of sweat on his forehead and trembling with fury. I thought the boy was going to go apoplectic at this point. Now, [and this is the fun part], he had gotten away with merely being a dip-shit to this point, and had not yet actually done anything “wrong”, but that changed in one quick hurry. Visibly furious, and without any ammunition [not even blanks] he started pointing at me and yelling insults, as if this would somehow win his argument and make his flawed logic valid. It only made me laugh harder.
Now, I have seen people go off the deep end, and I have seen some pretty awesome temper tantrums in my day, but this was right up there with the world champion of complete and total breakdowns. The kid was beyond return and I think he knew it, because he just didn’t stop. It was like watching that little prick holding mommies hand in the line at the store, while screaming and flailing because she won’t give in and let him get any candy.
We just kept laughing.
Squid-boy was so angry now that he was crying just a little bit, and he had those white flecks of foam beginning to form at the corners of his mouth. He had nowhere to run; he was trapped by his own stupidity and he fucking well knew it, just as everyone else in the room knew it as we watched his melt down in complete and utter amazement. This would be one for the record books, and I am sure the story will be told at the water cooler for a full generation to come. At this point, he knew that no one had his back and was desperate for validation, so he did the unthinkable. Squid-boy turned to the program Director and said, ”You’re supposed to back me up mother fucker, not just sit there like a fucking retard and let these assholes do ‘this’ to me”.
I couldn’t believe it.
Sometimes in life, we get to witness things that are so utterly amazing they defy our ability to assign the proper adjectives to describe them. This was one of those times. The laughing stopped as quickly as it started, and Squid-boy suddenly realized what he had done. We all sort of looked around at each other, then turned nearly in unison and stared at Squid-boy in amazement, having all of us just witnessed a man completely and irreparably self destruct. The director stood up and looked down at his notebook while slowly shaking his head from side to side. He seemed to be searching for the right words, because he stood there for the longest time, which made Squid-boy, who was now seated, visibly shaken.
When he finally spoke, he looked directly at me and addressed me personally. He said, “I have reviewed your work plan of action and have approved it unconditionally. You may proceed with the removal using the methods and engineering controls you describe in the plan. In addition, I see no need for any oversight beyond your construction inspector’s usual routine, since I have known you for eighteen years and have no doubts about the quality of your work, nor your professional integrity.” Then, he turned to Squid-boy and said at him, “I want to apologize for my technician, his outburst was significantly less than professional, and in no way reflects the sentiments of my group or NASA”.
At that, Squid-boy grabbed his notes, phone and water bottle and stormed out of the room.
So, for the second time this year, a spoiled, selfish college puke self-destructed right there in front of me. It is a sad commentary that these kids are being shit out of the “education system” like so many turds, seemingly led to believe that when they are in charge or have been given some level of authority that they should never be challenged, just as their professors had acted while brainwashing them. This young man is only twenty three or twenty four, and truly believes that he is “entitled” to the same level of respect that I give his boss [after eighteen years], by simple virtue of the little scrap of paper they gave him when he graduated. He does not understand that it is experience, reputation, integrity and the application of professional ethic that earns a man respect. He fully believes that because he is charged with some level of responsibility that he is automatically granted the respect and attention given to long tenured professional in his office.
I can now fully understand why our government will never survive. We are filling up the ranks of federal employees with entitles, privileged arrogant kids who have been taught that respect comes first and work comes later. Their generation is the “You ‘got to respect me” generation, raised on violent video games and thug rap, babysat by the television and MTV. They are cocky and full of themselves, having been taught to be so by the generation that brought us the sexual revolution and hippie culture of the sixties, which grew up to become the “educators” of today.
These are the same kids that we see at occupy rallies, and they are the same people we will see standing in like for hand-outs when the shit hits the fan.
Sorry about the rant.
